Cubic Concludes Public Transit Security Pilot in Edmonton

U.S. and Canadian companies developed and tested unique new technology designed to provide the quick and effective detection process needed in busy public transit settings

Cubic Security Systems, a subsidiary of Cubic Corporation (NYSE: CUB), announced it has completed a Canadian government pilot to evaluate new radiological and explosives detection technologies for public transit security.

The pilot took place the Churchill light-rail transit station in Edmonton, Canada, and involved the CLEAR-USE™ radiological and explosives detection system developed by Cubic Security Systems and prime contractor Mobile Detect, Inc. of Ontario. Testing began in June and concluded in July. The Canadian government will now analyze the pilot results with a final evaluation report and assessment expected within three months.

Defence R&D Canada’s Centre for Security Science funded the pilot with participation from Health Canada and the full cooperation of the Edmonton Transit System and police. During a news conference in Edmonton in June, Dr. Anthony Ashley of Defence R&D Canada’s Centre for Security Science said Edmonton was selected because it is a midsize city with a comprehensive public transit system ideal for testing security technology in a real-world setting.

Walt Bonneau, President of Cubic Security Systems, praised the Canadian hosts “for having vision and insight to provide this kind of technology to not only benefit Canada but to benefit North America and other parts of the world.”

Mobile Detect provided the standoff RadWatch™ gamma radiological sensors used in the pilot. When exposed to small amounts of radiation, the sensors were able to distinguish whether the radiation was of the amount and type used in nuclear medicine procedures or potentially came from an illicit source.

The gamma sensors were integrated by Cubic Security Systems into the existing Edmonton ticket vending machines supplied by Cubic Transportation Systems. Cubic also integrated the radiological sensors and its Explosives Detection Validator into the Mobile Detect central command security software backend system. The security software system has the capability to send alerts to security or law enforcement personnel via high-speed wired and wireless networks, including smartphones.

A molecularly imprinted polymer film manufactured by Raptor Detection Technologies of Baltimore was a core element of Cubic’s Explosive Detection Validator. When passengers inserted ordinary fare tickets into the validator, the machine laminated the tickets with the polymer film and returned them to passengers within a few seconds.

“By the time you take your ticket and put it into the validator, you will see within less than five seconds that this machine not only can analyze that ticket for trace particle detection but it can also send any type of alert, communication, messaging to a back-end security system,” Bonneau said.

While the Edmonton Transit System was the first transit agency to have this equipment under test, it has drawn attention from Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

“That shows you the growing interest in such non-intrusive security systems for public transit and transportation in general,” Bonneau said.